Pages

The Champagne Sisters w/ Author Gregor Collins @gregorcollins!

We are thrilled to clink & chat with author Gregor Collins! Gregor is an actor, author and television producer & is here today to talk about his book The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved, and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann. It is currently ranked in the top 10 bestselling Art History books on Amazon in both the US & UK.

The book is a love story between a 32-year-old and a 92-year-old who happened to cross paths just four years ago. It's a memoir covering their their three special years together before her death last year. It was love at first sentence—a concept Gregor didn’t even know existed. It defied logic: How could a 92-year-old Holocaust refugee from Austria and a 32-year-old actor from Los Angeles suddenly have so much to talk about?

Collins' unique relationship was with Art World Icon, Maria Altmann who famously battled the Austrian government for the return of illegally-seized artwork from the earliest days of the Holocaust. Two of the paintings successfully returned were works of art by Gustav Klimt: The Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I (1907) and The Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912). Gregor’s book includes many details surrounding the seizure of the art, the landmark case and the eventual return of five pieces of art, including the two very famous Klimts. Collins' unusual love story with Altmann provided him an inside look at the circumstances surrounding this incredible woman, her loves, her family and her friends.

--> He shares what inspiredand compelled him to write this book, his mantra: love more, some really fascinating history tidbits & more!